This invention relates to roller skates, and more particularly to roller skates having in-line rollers.
In-line skates, also called roller blades, were initially developed for use by hockey players to train during the off season. In the early 1990""s companies saw the growth potential of the in-line design and turned it into a billion dollar industry. In-line skating quickly became an international sport that can be enjoyed by all ages and people from all walks of life. Skating is a low impact sport that makes it an excellent aerobic exercise providing a strength-training tool, cardiovascular, fat and calorie burning workout.
In-line skating can be found everywhere, from streets and parks, boardwalks, industrial parking lots, outdoor running tracks, bicycle paths, indoor and outdoor running tracks. During the 1996 Olympic Games in-line skating was a exhibition sport.
A skater gets started by using a right push, glide, left push, glide sequence. When the skater""s foot pushes off they should feel ankle press against the tongue of that skate. If the skater""s knees are not adequately bent they will not be able to get enough power for a good push off.
The amount of power that an in-line skater can get during a push is related to the speed of the thrust, the angle and the surface area of the rollers making contact with the skating surface. Unfortunately, the surface area of the rollers making contact with the skating surface is also directly related to rolling resistance. Thus an inevitable trade off between increased power pushes and glide rolling resistance occurs.
Therefore there is a need for an in-line roller skate which offers reduces glide rolling resistance while providing increased power during push.
In one aspect, the present invention is an in-line roller skate having a flexible power roller, which provides no rolling resistance during gliding movement.